Back to School Life Hacks

The harvest season is upon us, which can only mean one thing – it’s back to school time!

After months of carefree living in the summer (how about those days on the lake?) getting back in routine can be a welcome change of pace. However, a bit of household chaos is always expected once school and extra-curricular activities are back in full swing!

To help you navigate through the next few weeks, we’ve put together a back to school cheat sheet with the top tips from our office to keep you and your family organized this fall.

Meal Prep

When possible, we try to plan dinners for the whole week. It can be helpful to do your shopping and prep as much as you can on the weekend, like chopping veggies and throwing them into a sealed container, and make a few meals in the slow cooker. This will make dinnertime MUCH less stressful, when you’re coming home from work and jetting off to after-school activities. Get the kids involved, too!

Family Calendar

If you’re anything like our families, you’re juggling kids, events, activities, drop-offs, pick ups AND your own job! It can be easy to forget who is going where and when they need to be there. A large family calendar where everyone can include his or her activities is extremely helpful. Make sure it’s located in a common area, like the kitchen or mudroom, so it never gets overlooked.

Cool tech tip - If your kids are older and spend a lot of time on their phones, try a shared calendar app, like Google Calendars.

Set the Ground Rules

Start off the school year on the right foot and remind your kids of the rules. This could be curfew, homework time, screen time, etc. We’ve learned that establishing expectations upfront can ease headaches further into the school year.

Back to School Shopping

Okay, so maybe you’re on-the-ball and already done this, but for those of us who consider September the grace period for all back to school shopping, this tip is for you. Do an inventory of what you have (school supplies, clothes, etc.) and what is needed for the upcoming year. Let your kids be part of the shopping - they’ll be excited to help pick out their supplies and clothes.

Establish Healthy Sleep Habits

This includes going to bed and also waking up. Right away establish regular bedtimes and wake up times for your kids… and stick to them! Routines are valuable and kids thrive when in a routine with enough sleep (and so the same could be said for us parents!).